Birthday Girl
by Gedia Kacela
Summary: Sorry for the long lull in updates or postings- I've been extremely busy. But here's my latest MR fic- a happy one, for once. Satine gets a surprise om her birthday.


Birthday Girl  
  
Disclaimer: Whadda ya know, I still don't own Moulin Rouge OR its characters. Darn the luck. This is slightly inspired by Nicole's upcoming movie, Birthday Girl, but besides the title, it really has nothing to do with it.  
  
Author's Note: My first happy Satine and Christian fic. Satine gets a surprise on her birthday. Has a slightly ominous end.  
  
***  
  
Satine sat alone in her room, dressed in a long, flowing black gown. She was barefoot, as she was only halfway through getting dressed for the day. Sadly, she had a 'date' planned with the Duke. The thought made her shudder. She hated spending time with him. There was something about him that truly did frighten her, despite his apparent idiocy.   
  
She longed to skip lunch in the gardens with the horrid Duke and instead run to Christian's garret to make love all afternoon, until neither could move. But she couldn't. Harold was coming in a few minutes to escort her to lunch, as he didn't trust her not to skip out on the Duke once more. She kicked her footstool over in anger. All this, on her birthday!  
  
She could still remember a time when birthdays were special... when she would dress up in frilly dresses while her mama cooed over how beautiful she was... when cakes were made especially for her, decorated with sugary icing... when the whole world revolved around her, just for that special day.  
  
Now, birthdays were different. They meant she was getting older, one year at a time... one year closer to they day when she would be like Marie, old and unable to sing and dance like the Sparkling Diamond that would replace her. She smiled sadly and sang to herself. "Men grow cold as girls grow old... and we all lose our charms in the end."  
  
She glanced at her reflection in the mirror. What was so special, after all? Without her makeup, she was just as plain as the next girl. Even when she was fully made up, there were few times when she had felt beautiful. Christian had changed all that. He made her feel beautiful... made her want to be better.  
  
With a sigh, she let her forehead rest on the top of her dresser. "Christian..." she whispered.  
  
"You called?"  
  
Letting out a short scream, she whirled to find the penniless writer himself standing in the doorway, a smile playing across his lips. With a hand pressed to her pounding heart, she shook her head at him, admonishing, "Christian! You frightened me."  
  
The smile faded somewhat. "I'm sorry, Satine... I didn't want to disturb you."  
  
Her smile returned and she stepped forward to take his hands, pulling him all the way in and shutting the door behind them. "No... I welcome this intrusion." She pressed her lips to his, pulling him into an intense kiss.  
  
He broke the kiss with a playful grin and headed towards the door, holding her hand. "Come on."  
  
She resisted, pulling him back. "Christian, I can't. The Duke..."  
  
He held a hand up to her lips, the smile growing broader by the second. "The Duke... has suddenly taken ill due to a terrible misfortune of acquiring food sickness."  
  
She gasped, trying to hide her pleasure. "What did you do!"  
  
He winked. "Nothing, just got him out of our way for a very special day." He tugged at her hand again. "Now come on."  
  
"My shoes!" She was still barefoot.  
  
"Don't worry about them. Come on!" They stole through the bowels of the elephant and through the gardens, until they reached parts of the gardens that even Satine had not seen. To get there, they had to clear hedges and sidestep the hazardous reaches of rows of thorny rosebushes. For a few minutes, Satine wondered if Christian had gone mad. But her fears were soon assuaged. As he deftly carried her over a rough patch of rocks, they came to their destination. The sight took Satine's breath away.  
  
They had come to a quiet, grassy knoll, completely void of Harold's vast array of electrical devices. Over the ground, Christian had spread a blanket and piled around it what seemed like hundreds of flowers. The aroma was both sweet and seductive, all at once. A small brass lamp was set in the corner, as of yet unlighted. On the blanket was spread a meager feast, the best Christian could afford, along with a bottle of champagne and two glasses.   
  
"Oh," breathed Satine, completely in awe. She had gone on picnic lunches with the Duke before, but never had it been like this. This had meaning. The surprise had been planned with love, not a desire to somehow win her affections through a show of wealth.  
  
But the best part caught her eye right before she was about to throw her arms around Christian. Amidst the other food was set the most wonderful surprise of all, something she would never have dreamed Christian would do. To most whose vision was unclouded by love's rose-tinted glasses, it would seem a shabby attempt unworthy of being eaten. But to Satine, it was beautiful. Sitting slightly lopsided and alight with too many candles was a cake... a birthday cake. For her.  
  
"Christian..." she gasped, staring girlishly wide-eyed and smiling the most honest, innocent smile that her lover had ever seen.   
  
"Do you like it, darling?" He squeezed her hand, which was clasped in his.   
  
She nodded, almost unable to speak. "It's like a poem... a wonderful poem."  
  
He chuckled. "I wanted it to be poetic..." He lowered his voice, giving it a husky lustiness. "You know, for you." She laughed, recognizing the words she had once spoken to him. Christian stepped forward, leading her towards the blanket. "Come on, love."  
  
She allowed herself to be led along, still in utter amazement at what Christian had done. "How did you know?" she breathed.  
  
"I asked Marie. Now hush and let me treat you like the princess you are." He seated himself amidst the picnic lunch, pulling her down with him. Soon she was lying across the blanket, nestled between his legs with her head against his chest. One of his hands clutched hers while the other fed her the various 'delicacies' that he had prepared, stroking her long silken hair in between bites.   
  
After the last of the food had been eaten and the sun had fallen beneath the horizon, Christian lit the lamp on the corner of the blanket. They embraced each other in the soft glow provided by the candle. Christian watched his love as she sighed happily in his arms. He was still in awe that she had chosen him over the Duke. He, who had nothing in comparison to the Duke's offers of wealth and fame.   
  
It always amazed him how different she was when she was with him. The Sparkling Diamond, the Smoldering Temptress, the Wilting Flower... they all were gone. All that was left was Satine, the real Satine- the one who didn't have to pretend. He kissed the top of her head. "I love you."  
  
She smiled up at him. "I love you too, Christian." She recognized the look in his eyes and turned to face him. She kissed him hard before whispering in his ear. "Let's make love."  
  
He grinned, unable to forget the first time she had said those words to him. She had been in Smoldering Temptress mode then and had thought that he was the Duke. But the blatant seductive tone was gone from her voice now. It was just her, a girl in love with a boy. "Okay," he whispered back.  
  
They lay in each other's arms long after the lamp had gone out. Their only light came from the moon, which seemed to sing along with their hearts.  
  
He kissed her again, long and passionate then lay beside her, his arm wrapped protectively around her stomach. Before he fell asleep, he whispered, "Happy birthday, Satine."  
  
In the darkness, Satine stifled her cough by covering her mouth with her hand. She didn't want to wake Christian. When the coughing fit had subsided she snuggled closer to her lover. "How wonderful life is now you're in the world," she sang softly before joining him in sleep.  
  
End. 


End file.
